Exiled
by jenni midnight
Summary: After Carol confesses to a crime, Rick banishes her from the prison. Now, all alone at the end of the world, she's forced to start over. But, what happens when Daryl returns from a run to find her gone?
1. Chapter 1

**SUMMARY:**  
After Carol confesses to a crime, Rick banishes her from the prison. Now, all alone at the end of the world, she's forced to start over. But, what happens when Daryl returns from a run to find her gone?

**STORY NOTES:**  
** This is my first venture into The Walking Dead fanfic world. ** For days now, this little "idea" wouldn't leave me alone, gnawing at the back of my brain like a dang walker. Ha! Ha!

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - - **indicates a scene break  
**: ~ * ~ : **appears before and after any flashbacks  
All flashbacks and/or inner thoughts are in _italics_

**DISCLAIMER:**  
This fanfic has been written purely for entertainment value, with no money being made from this work. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners with no copyright infringement intended. The original characters/places/plot/etc. are the sole property of the author. Thank you.

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

**EXILED**

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 1Day After Banishment_

_- Somewhere in Georgia_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Carol gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as she watched the hand drop further and further toward the "Empty" sign on the gas gauge. She knew she was close to running on fumes and she didn't need a damn red light to keep reminding her.

To add to her growing list of problems, it would be dark soon, making an already bad situation even worse. There was just no two ways about it, she needed shelter and she needed it now!

She cursed herself for the "big, bright idea" of sticking to the old, country roads. She had felt that they would be her best chance of survival, but now she second-guessed herself. _Should she have taken a more populated route? Would it have given her better odds at finding others?_ It didn't matter now. It was much too late to play the "what if" game. Live and learn, as they say. Or, you know, die and don't.

Still, with tired bones and a weary heart, she pushed forward; eyes peeled for anything that could offer some sort of shelter, at least for the night. Imagine her surprise when a small white building came into focus.

"Well, will you look at that?" she said aloud, a grin forming at the corners of her mouth. Pulling the car over onto the dirt lot, she stared at the large, yellow sign that stood on the porch roof.

"The Double G Country Store," she whispered after rubbing her eyes for the second time, as if to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. Here, in the middle of nowhere, was the answer to a prayer… if she had still bothered to pray.

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

The first thing Carol noticed, upon entering "The Double G", was the aluminum ball bat that lay across the counter at the cash register. She immediately grabbed it up and smiled. It would be a nice addition to her collection of weapons. She mentally took note of all the pros: no loud "bang" to draw the attention of the walkers, the base allowed for a good strong grip that would be better than some of her knives, and the length would give her a bit of distance between her and her target, which was always a plus.

The second thing she noticed were the two walkers, a man and woman, who were gnawing on a raccoon in the far right corner of the room. It didn't take long for them to notice her as well, immediately leaving their meal for something a little "fresher".

Deciding that _"now was just as good a time as any"_ to test out her new tool, Carol mimicked a stance similar to the one she used all those years ago when she played softball and she waited. When the walkers came at her, she was quick to land one good blow each, which knocked them to the floor. Momentarily tossing the bat, Carol reached for her bowie knife, quickly jabbing the steel into the skulls of the walker couple; destroying their brains and whatever life had remained within them.

With a deep breath, she wiped the stray spatters of blood off her cheek before moving to check out the rest of the establishment. When she found nothing but the carcasses of a few dead critters, she felt the burden on her shoulders ease just a bit. The store was clear and she was thankful.

However, the same could not be said for outside. The minute that Carol pulled her car around to the back of the store, so as not to draw the attention of any looters, she was greeted by her third walker. He was an elderly man, as best she could tell, who was already missing the lower half of his body. That didn't seem to bother him none though, as he had no trouble dragging himself across the gravel, slowly inching his way toward her.

Carol glanced briefly at the woods that lay just a few hundred yards away, making sure there were no more little "surprises" waiting on her, but the area was clear of walkers… except one.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath, as she felt fingers trying to claw at her boots. "Why can't you just die?"

She didn't wait for an answer, and it wasn't like he would have given her one anyway. With enough force to do damage, Carol brought the heel of her boot down onto the man's head, crushing it instantly. This time, he would stay dead.

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

Just an hour or so had passed since she'd taken shelter in the old store and Carol felt lucky to have the solid structure as her refuge for the night.

"_Much better than last night,"_ she thought, thinking briefly of the car wash that she'd hid out in the night before. _"Much better."_

There was only one thing: it was quiet.

Truth be told, it was too quiet for her liking. She'd become accustomed to a prison full of people and noises, and now? Now there was nothing.

As she stretched her body out onto the old futon she'd uncovered in the "office", Carol stared at the moonlight that peeked in at her from the skylight. She had a decision to make. If she could find gas, should she move on at first light or should she stay put for a few days?

She was leaning toward staying put for a while. Honestly, The Double G had a pretty good setup. There were only three walker accessible windows (which she already blocked off) and two exits (now booby trapped and set up with an "alarm system" made from kitchen string and empty cans). A good amount of canned food still sat on the shelves and water and soda still rested in their slots in the non-working coolers. Hell, there was even a bathroom.

"_What more could an exiled girl want?"_

Carol smirked slightly at her own attempt at a joke, and then hurriedly tried to close the door she'd just opened in her mind. Everything in her screamed to _"just think about the task at hand"_ because there was _"no use in dwelling on what was already done"_, but it was too late. The thoughts and feelings that she'd tried so hard to push aside came crashing into her.

Though she no longer had a watch, she could guess at the time, and it had been 30 or so hours since she had been banned from the place she'd once called "home". She wondered if Rick had told everyone of his decision to kick her out? If so, had he told them why? She was sure that he had. Why wouldn't he? Once he shared his knowledge with the group, every good and decent thing that she'd ever done would be forgotten. The people she'd grown to love, the people she thought of as family, would remember her as a killer… nothing more and nothing less.

"_Stupid whore,"_ she heard Ed mock, taunting her in her head. _"Always knew you'd end up alone."_

He'd been right, too.

Carol had been left to face this world alone. There was no Lizzie, Mika, Daryl or Sophia. All the people she cared for and loved the most in this world were now gone from her, in one form or another. The realization of it all shook her to her core.

And just like that, all the walls that she had so meticulously built up around her, came crashing down, exposing a heart that was worn and tired, broken and aching.

"Tomorrow," she promised herself as she brought a trembling hand up to muffle the sound of her own soft cries. "Tomorrow, I'll be strong."

But for a moment, now that there was no one to see, Carol let her guard down and allowed herself to grieve.

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**  
** A friend of mine asked me to continue this and I always have a hard time telling her no, so here I am. ;)  
** In my version of "the talk" between Rick and Daryl, there's a lot more than what was shown on TV. There are some rewrites of their conversation, but I also kept a lot of the dialogue that was actually said between the two.  
** In my world, the Governor doesn't attack the prison.  
** Everything else should be the same or explained as we go along. Hope you like it.

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

**- EXILED -**

- CHAPTER TWO -

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 2 Days After Banishment_

_- Cell Block C_

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

Daryl stared at the empty cellblock below as he waited for Rick to hurry the hell up and tell him where Carol was.

"Now, I want you to stay calm," Rick said softly, but with a nervous hitch in his voice that instantly had Daryl on edge. "And, I want you to listen to me."

"Stay calm, huh?" Daryl repeated. He was already so worked up that he had the coppery taste of blood on his tongue from chewing on his lip so hard. "I've been tryin' to stay calm for a while now. But, I'm gettin' real damn tired of the run around you all've been givin' me."

He moved then, wrapping his hands around the railing, tightening his grip as he tried to make his heart settle it's rhythm so it didn't feel like it was gonna jump out of his damn chest.

"Hershel won't say nothin' other than that I need to talk to you. I try an' look for you and somehow, you're nowhere to be found. No one else knows what the hell is goin' on, 'cept maybe Maggie cause she keeps givin' me this weird ass look. So spill the beans already and get this shit over with."

"You all… were gone a long time," Rick told him, rubbing his hand across his forehead.

Daryl scoffed in his direction. "That's what happens when you run into a herd, Rick. You have to change plans, figure out where the hell you are and how the hell to get back. Takes a bit 'o time."

"I know… but, it meant that me and Carol needed to go on a run to try and find some kind of relief for those that were sick."

"_Makes sense,"_ he told himself, even though Carol usually only made runs with him.

"We found a town," Rick continued. "We run into a young couple there. Sam and Ana. They didn't make it, though. At least, I know the girl didn't. Sam? I don't know. He never came back."

"What's this all got to do with Carol?" Daryl snapped, waving his hands in the air for effect. "All you're doin' is givin' me more of the same runaround. Spit it out already." He couldn't explain his reason for being so short with Rick. The man hadn't done anything that he knew of, to warrant such a hostile response from him. Yet there he was, trying to smother a rage that was steadily rising inside him.

"Carol's gone," Rick blurted out as he took a step back.

"Don't," Daryl mumbled, clearing his throat before he could continue. "Don'tcha dare tell me she's dead, cause I ain't believin' it."

"She's not dead." Rick assured. "She's just not… _here_."

Finally, for the first time since their conversation had started, Daryl turned to face his friend. "Then where is she?"

"I don't know."

"What do ya mean ya don't know? Did ya get separated?" Daryl questioned, worry now showing on his features.

"No."

"Then _what_, Rick?"

"She drove off. She's… not with the group anymore."

Daryl stopped his movements, standing quiet as he tried to register Rick's words.

_Carol had left of her own free will? No walkers chasing them? No gettin' lost from one another? No nothin'. She just up and left._

"Why?" came the question, Daryl's voice low and edged with a hurt, a chink in his armor showing. "Why would she do that?"

Rick swallowed hard, a look of fear shining in his eyes. "Because I told her she couldn't come back here."

Daryl was in the man's face before he had time to even think. The hotheaded hunter was staring at him, shooting daggers through him with his icy blue eyes.

"You best pray I heard you wrong," he warned, understanding now why he had felt so much rage. He knew to trust his instincts and this time had been no different.

Rick moved to put a hand on Daryl's shoulder, but he just shoved it away, kicking at a cell door as he turned to pace.

"She killed them, Daryl. David and Karen."

Daryl shook his head. "You're outta your damn mind. She wouldn't do somethin' like that."

"Well, she did," Rick mumbled. "She told me so herself. And, I couldn't just let her stay here."

"So what, Rick? She confesses on a run and you just decide to make her leave? What happened to you not decidin' things on your own anymore? Ya couldn't of waited til we got back?"

"Wait til Tyreese got back?" Rick countered.

"I coulda handled that," Daryl told him. No one woulda hurt Carol, not as long as he was around.

_But he hadn't been around..._

"Hey. Hey," Rick called out a second time. "She killed two of our own. She couldn't be here."

Daryl just glared at him, tightening his fists at his side.

"She's goin' to be alright," Rick assured him. "She has a car, supplies, weapons. She's a… she's a survivor."

"So stop sayin' that like you don't believe it!" Daryl yelled, pointing a finger in Rick's face.

Rick just took a breath and nodded. "She did it. She said it was for _us_. That's how it was in her head. She wasn't sorry."

"Well, that ain't her," Daryl said through gritted teeth, glaring at the man across from him. He shook his head then, turning back to lean over the rail, knitting his hands together before resting his head upon them. "That ain't her."

"_Ya know you had this comin' don'tcha?"_ he heard Merle goad him in his head. _"Ya knew better than to stay here an' get attached to these people. Ain't nobody ever cared about a Dixon except a Dixon. Eh… Lil' Mouse mighta, but we see what happened to her don't we? Tried to tell ya, baby brother, but you wouldn't listen to ol' Merle, would ya? That Officer Friendly? He ain't so friendly now, is he?"_

Daryl straightened, his body tense with anger as he tried to make sense of it all. Something wasn't addin' up right. Rick wasn't tellin' the whole truth and it was startin' to piss 'im off. BAD.

"Maggie told me earlier that you came back with a pretty good bit of supplies. Y'all were damn lucky to have had such a good run, 'specially to have been divvying it up."

_He was fishin' for the truth and they both knew it._

"Daryl…"

"Might have to hit the place up again since it was such a sweet spot."

"Daryl…" Rick repeated, his hands on his hips.

Daryl turned to face him. "She didn't confess on the road, did she?"

Rick shook his head as he answered. "No, she didn't. She did it here at the prison."

Daryl nodded his head, his eyes narrowing. "You planned it didn't ya? That's why you took her on the run?"

Rick told the truth, knowing that the man across from him would have known if he'd lied. "Yes."

With that one word, the river of rage that had been rising inside of Daryl came spilling out.

"Bastard!" Daryl yelled out as his fist connected with Rick's face, bringing the two men to floor.

Several people, hearing the commotion, ran into the cellblock, now gawking up at the brawl that was taking place on the catwalk. But, Daryl did care. Screw 'em all!

It was Maggie and Carl that pushed through the onlookers and made it to the upper cells to pull the two men apart.

"Stop this," Maggie yelled.

"You conned her," Daryl yelled over Carl's head as the younger Grimes and Maggie stood as a wall between him and Rick.

"I did no such thing!" Rick defended as Maggie put her arms out to widen the barrier between the two men.

"The hell you didn't!" Daryl shouted. "Did ya tell her you were gonna leave her when you asked her to go on the run with ya? Did ya tell her to gather her things so she'd at least have some bit o' home with her before you told her to hit the damn road? NO! You let her think everything was okay, didn't ya?"

"She knew I wasn't okay with what she did!"

"And she still went Rick!" Daryl yelled. "She still crawled into the seat next to ya and went where ya asked her to go. What the hell does that tell ya?"

"Are you talkin' about Carol?" Carl asked, his question falling on deaf ears.

"What kind of _man_ are ya that you'd have her help ya gather things FOR the group and then cast her OUT of it?"

There were audible gasps from the people below and Maggie yelled down to them. "Somebody find Michonne and Daddy… and the rest of you get the hell out of here!"

"What did you want me to do Daryl?" Rick yelled, throwing his hands up into the air.

Both he and the man across from him paid no mind to the people below or to the two standing between them, for that matter. "Did you just want me to pretend like it didn't happen? Or, I know, pat her on the back and say, "well thanks for tryin". What? Tell me! What should I have done?"

"Ya shoulda waited!" Daryl shouted. "Ya shoulda took it to the council an' let them decide what to do. Ya shouldn't have fooled her into thinkin' one thing when you had every intention of doing somethin' different. You drove away from this prison, knowin' ya wasn't bringin' her back. You can't play farmer for months and then come back and wanna be in charge, Rick. It don't work that way."

Carl turned to face his dad. "What's he talking about?"

"She went rogue, Daryl. Why can't you see that?"

"Pfft. No more than you did."

"I didn't kill two of our own."

"Ain't ya?," Daryl said with a sigh. "You took out Shane and now you've given Carol a death sentence."

Carl was stunned, glancing at Maggie, who stared down at him with a frown. "Dad?"

"I did what I had to!" Rick defended, his eyes moving back and forth from the three before him. "She… was a threat. A threat to us all."

"Aw, that's bullshit and you know it."

"It's not."

"What's going on?" Hershel asked as he and Michonne made their way to the upper level of the cellblock.

Neither man answered. Hershel looked at a teary Maggie who just frowned and shook her head at him, telling him everything he needed to know. Rick had finally told Daryl what had happened.

"Tell me something, _Officer Grimes_," Daryl taunted, venom oozing from his words. "Was she a threat when she was pullin' baby detail for Lil' Asskicker, and tryin' to teach Beth how to help her, while you were AWOL and talkin' to ghosts? Was she a threat when she was wearing herself down tryin' to cook for everybody in the prison? Was she a threat, Rick, when 15 minutes after I carried her out of a cell where she'd been left _for days_, she was comforting YOU over Lori."

Rick just dropped his head, unable to answer his friend's questions.

"That's what I thought," Daryl mumbled as he let his body slide to the floor, crossing his legs in front of him. Dropping his head back against the bars, he sighed; a deep and long breath escaping from his lips as the anger burned out of him, leaving him with an emptiness that he knew could never be filled.

"That's who you left out there, Rick," he whispered, tired of yelling. "That's who you took from this prison, who ya took from… me."

All five turned to look at Daryl then, various degrees of shock and sympathy covering their faces. They'd all known of the connection between Carol and Daryl, there was no denying it. But, to _hear_ the anguish in his voice as he spoke of her? None of them were prepared for that.

"I'm sorry, brother," Rick said softly, a sudden hint of shame echoing in his voice.

"Don't call me that," Daryl warned in a tone that made all who heard it know to take the threat seriously. "Don't ever call me that again."

Rick nodded his understanding and Hershel took the silence as a chance to break up the party before there was a chance of either man getting riled up again. "Let's get you cleaned up."

"She didn't do it," a voice announced to the group.

"What did you say?" Maggie asked, wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

"Carol…" the voice spoke again. "She didn't kill Karen and David."

"How do you know?" Rick asked, keeping an eye on Daryl who was now rising from the floor.

"I know," the voice continued, "because it was me."

Moving to put his hand on the confessor's shoulder, Rick felt the sudden stream of tears sting his eyes. "Oh Carl…"

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**


	3. Chapter 3

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

**- EXILED -**

- CHAPTER THREE -

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

"She didn't kill Karen and David."

Daryl was quiet as he stood from the floor, squinting his eyes and tilting his head toward the direction of the small voice that was speaking. He heard Rick ask something, but honestly he didn't even register it, too caught up in the fact that the kid had believed Carol was innocent.

He moved passed each cell, _watching Rick watching him_, until he came to stand on the same side of the catwalk as the rest the group. He was still too pissed to stand _with_ them, but he did stand _near_ them.

"I know, because it was me," the younger Grimes admitted and Daryl felt his heart sink for the second time that day.

_Damn._

Rick placed his hand on his young son's shoulder, "Oh Carl…"

Carl dropped his head, hearing the disappointment in his father's words.

"I know you loved her," Rick told him as he brought a hand to Carl's chin, forcing the young man to look at him. "But saying it was you, when it wasn't, won't bring her back here."

"What the hell?"

The words were out of Daryl's mouth before he even realized he was saying them. But, it was Michonne catching his eye and giving him a quick shake of her head that had him stop short of saying anything else.

"I'm not the one lying, Dad. Carol was."

Rick rubbed his hands up and down his face, as if to make some attempt to calm himself.

"How…. how'd you do it then, Carl? If you're responsible for those deaths, you tell me how you did it."

Carl backed up, taking a deep breath, but remained silent.

Rick breathed a sigh of relief, knowing it had all been in an effort to get Carol back to the prison. But then, his son began to speak…

"I was somewhere I wasn't supposed to be," Carl said frankly.

_"Like always,"_ Daryl thought to himself.

"It wasn't planned, if that's what you're thinking. I was just roamin' the blocks, not really thinkin' about where I was going. Then I heard somebody coughin'. But, it sounded more like choking or something. So, I went to see who it was. That's when I found David and Karen."

"And?"

Carl looked at his Dad, who had asked such a simple question, knowing the answer was the exact opposite.

"And… it was Karen who had been coughin' so bad," he told his dad. "I tried to raise her up, thinking that it might help her, but she still couldn't catch her breath. She was just making this awful gurgling sound. I can't even explain it."

"She was drowning in her own blood," Hershel interjected.

"I guess," Carl said, not sure if that's what it was or not. "David came in and tried to help me, but he was close to being in the same shape. He stayed though and we finally got Karen settled back in the bed. I told David to go back to bed and I'd get help, and he didn't argue with me about it. But, I guess as he was heading to his cell, he noticed that Karen still had her boot knife on her, cause he grabbed at it, saying something about _"sparing her"_. But, I wouldn't let him do it. I couldn't. He finally gave up, cause he didn't really have the strength to fight me on it, and he went back to his cell."

"Why didn't you let him do it?" Michonne asked, her face hiding any judgment she may have wanted to give.

"I just… she just… reminded me of Mom. But a few minutes later she was gone, so I… stopped her from coming back."

"Oh Carl," Maggie whispered, a hand coming up to cover her mouth, remembering how awful it had been for them both when Lori had given birth to Judith. If she were honest, the images still haunted her.

Daryl just frowned and shook his head.

"And, David?" Rick asked, staring a hole through his son.

"Same thing as Karen. I went into his cell and he was close to dying. He looked up at me, blood coming from his eyes and said to _"Make it quick",_ like he already knew he was turning or something. I nodded at him, he closed his eyes and I took Karen's knife and did what he asked."

"Why'd ya burn 'em like that?" Daryl finally asked.

"Because I thought that's what I was supposed to do, to keep it from spreading. I couldn't take the chance of Judith getting sick. We have to keep her safe. _I_ have to keep her safe. So, I drug them outside, hurried and got some gas from the shed and set 'em on fire."

Carl looked at his dad then. "I still had the matches on me when I came to help _you_ when you were tearing down the pig pen. Remember? I gave you the matches to set the fire?"

Recognition came across Rick's face, proving to the group that still stood around, that he knew exactly what Carl was talking about. Still, the man refused to believe the words his son was saying.

"When did Carol find out?" Daryl asked, the woman always at the forefront of his thoughts.

"Not til later," he said honestly. "She came to me and asked me if I had done it. I didn't deny it."

"Who's idea was it to lie?" Maggie asked, still shocked by it all and yet ashamed that she'd believed Carol had done it.

Carl looked sadly at Daryl before responding. "Neither, really. There wasn't a plan to lie. There was just a plan to stay quiet for a while til thing's calmed down."

"Why?" Michonne asked as she crossed her arms. "Why was there a plan to wait?"

"I'd had already heard about Dad and Tyreese fightin', before Carol found me, and I was afraid. She told me not to worry because she'd never let Ty hurt me."

"Damn it," came the muffled swear; Carol was always tryin' to protect somebody.

"She told me that she'd talk to Dad and try to make him see that I hadn't been trying to disobey him. I wasn't trying to be bad."

He looked at Daryl then, a sadness shining in his eyes. "I didn't know she was gonna say she did it. Honest. And, I didn't know Dad had sent her away. I'm so sorry."

Daryl nodded in response, chewing on his lip as he did so.

"Stop it," Rick warned the younger Grimes. "Stop sayin' you're sorry."

"And why are y'all so quick to believe this?" Rick yelled.

"Why were you so quick to believe it was Carol?" Daryl countered, smothering the urge to lay the man out.

"Because she said she did it, Daryl!"

"Yeah? And now Carl's saying he did it! It's the same thing."

"This is… this is ridiculous. Carl, you need to stop lyin'. Do you understand me? You need to STOP."

"Dad, I'm tellin' the truth," Carl demanded, shame on his face but still trying to own up for what he'd done.

"C'mon" Rick ordered, grabbing his son by the hand and heading down the stairs.

Hershel, unable to keep up, hung back, but Maggie, Michonne and Daryl pressed on, refusing to leave the father and son alone for fear of what would happen.

When Rick finally stopped, all five stood outside A Block, facing the now faded blood and burn stains that had seeped into the concrete. "YOU did this?"

Carl was crying.

"ANSWER ME," Rick screamed.

"Yes."

"Then why is Carol's handprint on the damn door, Carl?"

Carl looked in the direction that his father was pointing, seeing the 'evidence' in question. He understood, as he looked at the size, how someone could have thought it belonged to a woman. But, it also could have belonged to someone who was still growing; their body stuck somewhere between 'no longer a child' and 'not yet a man'. It could have belonged to _him_.

He frowned then, wiping the tears that had been falling from his big, blue eyes, and walked to the door. Trembling, Carl placed his hand over the bloodied impression that still married the metal door.

It was a perfect match.

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**


	4. Chapter 4

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

**- EXILED -**

- CHAPTER FOUR -

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 2 Days After Banishment_

_- The Double G Country Store _

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

Carol sorted through the "loot" she'd gathered up from the aisles and back rooms of The Double G; combining them with the supplies she'd had in the car. As she found each item a home in a container, she took mental inventory, knowing exactly what she had, how much there was of it, and in just what container said items could be found.

Everything fell into one of four categories: Frivolous, Medical, Food and Weapons.

Frivolous items, which covered anything from toiletries to spare clothing, were placed into a small red laundry basket that was the first to be set back in the car. As such, it would be the last thing she would grab if she had to run. It was sad to say, but deodorant and shampoo were not necessities, they were luxuries. And in this world, if you had a group of walkers ready to chew your ass off, well, you didn't take the time to grab the "smell goods". Fact.

The other three categories were a little different, as each one helped keep you alive.

So, you had to plan carefully.

Carol knew that she would never be able to carry a large tote filled to the brim with canned goods. There was just no way, especially not if she had to carry other stuff like weapons and meds and such. So she had to think differently and long term. That only left one option. Break it up.

So, the three remaining totes were numbered and then filled to the top with food, meds and weapons. Now, if she were on the go and didn't have time to take her entire stock of supplies, she could just grab one and still be equipped with everything she'd need to get her through.

It was her best option at this point. Really, it was her only option.

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

As Carol closed the hatch to the Ford Taurus, she couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. She'd managed to ward off walkers, find shelter, gather supplies and stock the car. Hell, she'd even filled up the car with gas (though the taste of gasoline still lingered on her tongue from siphoning it out of a red pickup she'd found parked beside the store).

"Daryl would be so proud," she said with a grin.

_Daryl._

Somehow her thoughts always came back to him.

The man tried so hard to be tough; wearing that "redneck without a cause" persona like it was a badge of honor. He was good at it, too. Granted, he was indeed a bad ass in the truest form of the word, but there was something more… One look into his piercing blue eyes and, despite the rough exterior, she saw exactly who he was… a good and honorable man.

People wanted to say that the friendship and the bond that they shared was because of Sophia and all that he tried to do to bring her back. But, it wasn't. It magnified then, becoming a spectacle for the group to look and raise an eyebrow at. But no, that wasn't the beginning. At least, not for her.

**: ~ * ~ :**

_In a walker-filled world, meat was scarce. When it did happen to make its way onto a plate, it always came by way of Daryl Dixon. Carol had watched the man, for weeks now, head out into the woods and bring back food. It shamed her that not a single damn man in the camp, including Ed and the Dixon man's older brother, Merle, ever volunteered to go with him. So, when the hunter returned with a string of squirrels on his side, Carol did the only thing she could think to do; she offered to help._

"_Need a hand?" she'd asked timidly, staring down at the man with at least a dozen squirrel carcasses before him._

_He looked at her like she was crazy. "I don't __need__ nothin'."_

_She pursed her lips, annoyed that the man had thwarted her attempt at helping out. "O-kay," she mumbled. "__May__ I help?"_

"_Ain't you got nothin' better to do?"_

"_Not really," she told him earnestly. "Ed's asleep and Sophia's with Carl. Dale's teaching them how to play rummy. And besides that, you went through all the trouble of finding dinner, the least anyone could do is help you clean it."_

_He scowled at her for a second and she thought for sure he was gonna cuss a blue streak, but instead, he just threw a squirrel at her. She suppressed a laugh, amused at how silly she must have looked as she tried to catch the animal before it crashed into her chest. _

"_You know how to do this?" he asked._

"_Yep," she said with confidence as she took a seat next to him._

"_Your husband teach ya?"_

"_Ed?" she asked in shock, a slight giggle in her voice. "Lord no. He's never hunted anything but the remote."_

_She knew he wanted to smile, she just knew it. _

"_Figures," he finally said, chewing at the corner of his lip._

"_It was my granddaddy," she finally offered up. "He used to take me huntin' with him when I was little. Momma was the youngest of three girls, and I was the youngest of 4 grandchildren… all girls. Granddaddy finally gave up on getting a boy in the family and just decided that he was gonna settle with teaching it all to me."_

"_Makes sense, I guess." _

_Daryl dipped his head down and continued to clean the squirrel in front of him. "So, you hunt then?"_

"_Umm, not really. I was tryin' to learn, but I wasn't a very good shot. And those dang squirrels just wouldn't hold still long enough for me to shoot."_

_He snorted, obviously amused at her teasing words. "Why'd you stop tryin' ta learn?"_

"_Granddaddy… he got sick."_

"_Cancer?"_

_Carol shook her head, the pain still present even after all these years. "Alzheimer's," she said softly, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. "At first, it wasn't so bad, so nobody really stopped him from doing what he wanted to do. We would go and spend hours in the woods. First he taught me how to clean and cook the animals. Then he decided that I was finally ready to learn how to shoot."_

_Carol smiled, thoughts of her grandpa still warming her heart. "He had just started teaching me, when his memory started getting worse. One day, we were in the woods and he had me sit by a tree while he walked out of my line of sight to um… relieve himself. He never came back. He drove himself all the way home, forgetting that I had even been with him. It was late into the night before I found my way out of the woods. After that, the family decided what he could do. Teaching me how to hunt wasn't on the list."_

_Daryl stiffened. "Sorry."_

"_Thanks," she told him, barely touching his knee with her small hand, embarrassed when he flinched. _

_Seconds later when she'd finished cleaning her squirrel, she held it up to him. "This okay?"_

_Thoroughly inspecting the rodent, Daryl nodded. "Well hell if you ain't full of surprises."_

"_I'll take that as a compliment."_

_Daryl nodded. "Them pansy ass girls oughta help out."_

_Carol followed Daryl's eyes as he glanced in the direction of the ladies that sat talking around a barely-there campfire._

"_Want me to go ask them if they wanna just in on the fun?" Carol questioned, rising from her chair._

_His hand snaked around her wrist in an instant. _

"_Better not," he told her, his thumb making the slightest circle on her skin before he pulled away. "I don't want a bunch o' whinin' ass women on my hands."_

"_Can't have that now can we?" she teased, settling back down into her chair._

"_Nope," he told her, his voice warming her to the bone. "B'sides, you're better than that."_

**: ~ * ~ :**

"You're better than that," Carol repeated, rubbing her wrist, remembering the feel of his calloused hand on her skin.

She needed to keep Daryl's words in her head. That was the mentality that she was going to have to have if she wanted to make it out here by herself. She couldn't think, even for a moment, that she couldn't make it. She couldn't let her guard down again, like she had the night before. She had to remember that she could get through it. She'd get by. She'd make do. She'd survive.

Like it or not, the prison and the people in it, were in her past now. There was no way to turn back time and change the things that happened, so she just had to move forward. No more looking back, no matter how much she wanted to.

Carol had to _trust_ that Rick would keep his damn word and look after the girls. She had to _believe_ that Daryl would always make it back to the prison, safe and sound. She had to _remember_ that no one was coming for her.

This was her world now and she had two choices: opt out or suck it up. And, Carol Peletier was no damn quitter.

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**


	5. Chapter 5

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**- EXILED -**

- CHAPTER FIVE -

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 2 Days After Banishment_

_- The Prison Yard _

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

Daryl loaded the last of the supplies into the White Jeep Cherokee before closing the hatch. He had a good month of provisions if he rationed well enough and hopefully he'd be able to pick up things along the way to compensate for what he'd use.

"So, you're leaving?" a familiar voice asked from behind him.

Michonne.

Daryl turned, chewing on his bottom lip as stared at her, unnerved that Rick was by her side. "Yep."

"Coming back?" she asked bluntly.

"Don't know," he answered shortly, glancing quickly in Rick's direction. "It just depends."

"On what?"

Daryl didn't answer the question, instead coming up with one of his own. "Did ya'll talk to Ty?"

Michonne nodded. "Sasha's with him. He's still angry… real angry, but he understands things better now. He gets that no one set out to hurt Karen, so his pain has lessened I guess."

"Good." Again, he glanced briefly at Rick. "Think he'll leave Carl alone?"

"He better," Michonne warned. "I think he will," she offered up, knowing that Daryl was showing genuine concern for the boy.

"I'm glad."

Digging into his pocket, Daryl pulled out the keys to the Cherokee before giving another look at the two before him. "I best get goin'."

"You're wastin' your time, Daryl," Rick told him just as he was reaching for the car door. "How are you even plannin' on finding her?"

Daryl just scowled at him. "Well, it's my time ta waste, ain't it? And, I'll figure it the hell out."

"We need you here," Rick told him earnestly.

"Nah, you'll be fine," Daryl assured, his eyes narrowing on the man he'd once called his friend. "Ya got cars, supplies…weapons. You're survivors."

The words echoed in Rick's head, remembering that he had said the same thing just hours earlier. If Daryl's intent had been to hurt him, it worked.

"You have to know, I never meant for it to go down like this. Carol confessed. I was just… trying to keep the people I loved safe."

Daryl nodded. "So was she."

Leaning back against the vehicle, Daryl crossed his arms and sighed. "Just so you know… I won't come back here without her."

"Daryl…" Michonne began, but he cut her off.

"I mean it. If I don't find her, I won't be back. I won't stop lookin' for her… ever. I won't be here without her."

Michonne grinned, it was the sweetest non-declaration of love that she'd ever heard. "Well I guess all I can say is that I hope we see you soon. The both of you."

Daryl gave a slight smile, thankful for her encouragement, before slipping into the Jeep. "Take care o' yourself."

"Always."

Shifting the car into drive, Daryl was just about to push down on the gas pedal when he felt a hand grab his arm. He turned to see Rick, a teary look in his eyes, staring at him.

"We were only about eight miles south of here," Rick told him. "When she left, she headed north. She was in a Ford Taurus. It had "Pardon the dust" written on the windows on the driver's side."

"Alright."

Rick leaned in close. "When you find her… when you find her Daryl, you tell her I'm sorry. You tell her that I'm an ass and that I know she was just tryin' to protect Carl. You tell her thank you for me. Okay?"

"No."

Rick pulled back, stunned at the rejection.

Daryl stared up at him and sighed. "What I will do is bring her ass back home so you can apologize for being a dick to her in person."

Rick nodded, a grin wanting to form at the corners of his mouth. "You do that."

"I will," Daryl whispered, releasing his hold on the brake and heading toward the prison gate. "I'm bringing her home."

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 5 days later_

_- 8 Days After Banishment _

_- Somewhere in Georgia _

Daryl rubbed the sleep from his eyes before taking another look at the map. He'd spent the first day of his search heading south, going back to the small town that Carol and Rick had visited before he kicked her out. He thought maybe after Rick had left that she'd doubled back and had took refuge in the small cul-de-sac.

She hadn't.

After that, he headed north and then veered east, something in his gut telling him which way to go. But for all his efforts and tracking skills, he was still alone, without a single clue to let him know if he was even heading in the right direction.

"Damn it, woman," he mumbled. "Where in the hell are you?"

The frustration and exhaustion were getting to him. His bones ached and every muscle screamed for him to rest. Since darkness had already fallen, Daryl listened and decided to bunker down in the next structure he came across. So he drove, 1 mile, then 2, then 4 more after that, finding nothing but a bunch of damn bodies and leaves scattered along the way.

Then in the distance, something reflected against his headlights. A store maybe? Garage? He couldn't be sure. Truth be told, he didn't really care. It would be somewhere to lay his head for the night and that's all that mattered.

Pulling into the parking lot, Daryl cut the engine, making sure the area was clear of walkers before he stepped out of the vehicle. Carefully, he made his way to the front of the establishment and jiggled the door. It was locked.

_"Looks like someone may be home,"_ he thought to himself. _"Let's hope they're friendly."_

Dropping his bow, Daryl slipped his hand to his belt and pulled out a knife, jimmying the door open in six seconds flat. When he let the wooden door start to swing open, he immediately caught sight of the string that was attached to the knob.

"Booby trapped," he said aloud, amused at someone's ingenuity. Didn't matter, though. He cut the line quickly and listened as what sounded like cans hit the floor.

"Damn," he swore under her breath.

Throwing the bow over his shoulder, Daryl opted to keep the knife out as his primary weapon since sight was limited and it would be easier to maneuver in a small area. Two steps in and he closed the door behind him. Retrieving his flashlight from his pocket, Daryl brought it up to eye level and clicked it on just as he heard something stir behind him.

The voice was low as it spoke. "Don't turn around," a voice ordered. "You don't know it, but there's a gun pointed at your head. Now, I don't know who are you or what you want, but you ain't' gettin' here, understand? So, you take what you came with and go right on back out that door."

Daryl strained to hear, his eyes squinting as if it would somehow make him hear better.

"I mean it," the voice told him. "I don't want to shoot, but I will."

_It couldn't be…_

"Carol?" he asked, his voice revealing a myriad of emotions.

There was silence for a long time and Daryl was sure he had been wrong. But, just as he was about to chalk it all up to wishful thinking, she spoke…

"Daryl?"

The minute the word was out of her mouth, Daryl turned, shining the light in her direction. She was leaning against the counter, her hands gripping the wood on either side of her, her gun lying next to the register. She was pale and skinny, her hands were trembling and she seemed to be struggling to catch her breath. But she was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life. So he smiled, a look of relief shining in his eyes for one brief moment, and then it was replaced by a scowl.

"Damn it, woman!" he yelled as he glared at her. "I don't know rather to kiss ya or kick yer ass!"

Carol smiled, the one that always caught him off guard and brought a blush to his cheeks, and then asked with a wink, "Can I choose which one?"

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**


	6. Chapter 6

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**- EXILED -**

- CHAPTER SIX-

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 8 Days After Banishment _

_- The Double G Country Store_

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

"I don't know rather to kiss ya or kick yer ass!"

"Can I choose which one?"

Carol watched as steely blue eyes stayed fixed on her and she felt her body warm from the gaze. Then, in the measure of two heartbeats, Daryl closed the distance between them, standing so close that Carol could feel his breath on her skin.

"Daryl, I was just …"

But her words were stopped when his strong, calloused hands, grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace.

"How did you find me?"

"I think it's more like we found each other," he told her, his voice low and husky as he brought a hand up to cradle the back of her head, pulling her in closer to his body.

The sudden display of affection shocked Carol, but she eagerly returned it by wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm glad we did," she whispered against his chest, smiling contently when she felt him kiss the top of her head.

"Me too. I… thought I'd lost ya," he mumbled into her hair and Carol melted at the words.

_Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe he'd missed her after all._

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

It took less than two minutes for Daryl to fill Carol in on things that had happened at the prison. "The girls are fine, Rick told me what he did and I came to find you." One sentence and he'd covered all the basics. It was a new record.

Carol hadn't questioned him once she knew that everything was okay, choosing instead to show him "the lay of the land". He applauded her ingenuity and her ability to make do on her own.

"Most wouldn't have made it," he told her.

Carol could hear the "_I'm proud of you_" in his words even if he didn't say it. "Well, I had good teachers," she told him.

"Your granddaddy?" he asked, remembering a conversation they'd had so long ago.

Carol smiled. "Yeah. Him and another good man." She winked as she stared at him and Daryl knew that she had been referring to him.

His face changed then, growing pensive as he sat across from her on the old futon.

Though they'd covered the "basics" of what was going on at the prison and how and why he was there, Carol could see that there was something brewing inside him.

She watched in silence as he chewed at his bottom lip, struggling to find the words.

"Just say it," she whispered, her body tense as she waited for the fallout.

Daryl stared at her and shook his head. "Still tryin' to work all this shit out in my head."

"Like?"

"Like, why'd you leave?"

Carol frowned. "It wasn't like I was given much of a choice, Daryl."

"I know Rick did what he did, but…"

"But?"

"But you could have just drove back to the prison on your own."

He was right. She could have. But…

"Rick said no one would want me there once they knew what I had done." There was a shame in her voice that did not go unnoticed.

"But, you didn't do anything, did ya? Except try to cover for Carl."

Carol sucked in a breath, shocked at his words. Not once in their earlier conversation had he mentioned that he knew the truth. "You know?"

"Everybody knows," he told her. "Carl confessed the minute he found out what Rick had done."

"Oh."

"Oh? That's all you can say?"

Carol dropped her head. "I was just trying to keep him safe, Daryl. Tyreese was so mad. When Rick came to me, he already had it in his head that I had been the one that had killed Karen and David. So, when he asked me, I just said yes. I wasn't really thinking straight. I was just trying to make it easier for everyone. I sure as hell didn't think he was going to take me on a run and leave me out there."

Daryl wouldn't look at her, choosing instead to fidget at the frayed edge of his jacket. "Why didn't you just tell him that Carl did it? About what really happened?"

"What would have been the point?" Carol asked, unnerved by his lack of eye contact. "If I had told him after he had banned me, he would have just thought I was doing it so that I could be allowed to stay at the prison. The damage was done."

"I would've protected you," he mumbled, his words edged with hurt.

Moving her hand to his cheek, Carol gently rubbed the scruffy hair at his jaw line, making him raise his gaze to look at her. "I know you would have," she told him. "I'm sorry."

"Shoulda never happened like it did," he told her, the anger in his voice edging out the hurt. "None of it."

She nodded. "You're right. I was out of line. I shouldn't have stepped in and took the blame. I should have let Rick and the council handle it."

"You gotta stop Carol," he told her, a strain to his voice.

"Stop what?" she asked, staring at him from the other side of the futon.

"You gotta stop tryin' to protect everybody."

Carol stiffened as Daryl's gaze met hers. "I'm not."

"Yeah… you are. They're not…"

"Say it," she ordered, knowing exactly where this conversation was going. "Go on, Daryl. Say it."

"They're not Sophia."

She closed her eyes, fighting the urge to swear or cry or both.

"You keep tryin' to save everyone, like you're payin' penance for Sophia dyin'. But that ain't on you, woman. That was just… just bad damn luck."

"Bad luck?" Carol repeated. "Bad luck?" Carol stood then, walking to the far end of the room, leaning against the wooden desk that sat there. "My daughter is dead, Daryl. Dead. She ran into the woods and then came out of a barn. If I … if I had shown her how to fight, use a knife, maybe she would still be here. But, I shielded her. First from her daddy, then from this God forsaken world. I failed her, Daryl. Her whole life, I failed her."

"Carol…" Daryl rose and walked toward her, but she stopped him.

"NO!" she yelled. "You all want me to talk about her, well here I am. I was a bad mother. I thought I was a good one, but I wasn't. I just wasn't. If I were, she'd still be here. I can't change what happened to her. But Carl… Carl's different. When I see him, I see Sophia. He's the last Daryl. He's the last person, besides me, that really knew her. I mean, I know you and Rick and Glenn knew her, but not like me. Not like Carl. We're the last two that remember what she was really like. Her laugh, her silly jokes and that she loved fireflies and dandelions and made wishes on stars. No one remembers that but him and me. And maybe, maybe the thoughts of something happening to him scared the shit out of me, because it would be like losing her a part of her. So, I tried to do for Carl what I couldn't do for my own daughter. I tried to save him."

In an instant, Daryl was at her again, leaning against the desk at her side. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked as she wiped a stray tear.

"I ain't go no right to be mad at you," he told her. "Who am I to judge what someone else does or for what reason? I just… when I got back to the prison and I couldn't find you… I just didn't like you not being there."

It was the most honest thing he'd said and Carol felt her heart warm at the admission.

"Are you sayin' you missed me?"

Even in the moonlight, Carol could see the blush that rose on Daryl's cheeks.

"Maybe," he teased, thankful that both their moods had lightened. That's just the way it was with them. They'd argue, blow off steam and then fall right back into place as friends. There was an easiness between them that neither shared with anyone else.

With a grunt, Daryl pushed himself off the edge of the desk, nudging her arm as he did so. "I still think I shoulda kicked yer ass, though."

With a smile, Carol shrugged. "Well, there's always tomorrow…"

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**


	7. Chapter 7

**I know this isn't very long and I apologize in advance for that, but I wanted to get something out to you all by Christmas. It's kind of my present to you for taking the time to read (and or review) this story. It means more than you know.  
**

**Anyway, I hope you like it. Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Happy New Year, etc. :)**

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

**- EXILED -**

- CHAPTER SEVEN-

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 9 Days After Banishment _

_- The Double G Country Store_

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

The skylight told him it was still a few hours before daylight, but Daryl Dixon could not go to sleep. Instead he lay on his side listening to the soft, even breathing coming from the small frame that was curled up next to him.

Carol.

Damn if that woman wasn't going to be the death of him, one way or the other.

She was using his arm as a pillow and his free hand was resting on her hip. He absentmindedly played with the frayed edges of her pocket as he tried to remember just how the hell he'd ended up like this.

Then he remembered…

**: ~ * ~ :**

_Carol kicked the metal frame of the futon with her boot as she furrowed her brow. "I don't know if this thing is sturdy enough to hold us both if it were pulled out, but the cushion is still pretty decent. How about we move it to the floor?"_

_"You sleep on it… up there," Daryl offered quickly. "I'll take the floor."_

_"Daryl, I'm not gonna argue about this," Carol warned, her hands immediately going to her hips. "It's been a hell of a day and we're both tired, so stop being stubborn."_

_He stared at her, a nervousness showing on his features._

_"Just sleeping, Daryl," she informed as she rolled her eyes. "Nothing else. I've even got a couple o' blankets, so we won't have to share."_

_Then that mischievous grin was on her face, the one that always made his heart beat a little faster. "I won't even make you snuggle," she added._

_His head jerked upwards then, greeted by her teasing smile. Flustered, he blurted out, "What am I gonna do with you?"_

_He fully stepped into that one he realized all too late, because a second later, she wiggled her eyes at him. "Are you looking for suggestions?"_

_"Stahp!" he told her as he gave in and flung the mattress to the floor. _

_She giggled slightly and Daryl felt a grin working its way onto his features. _

_Carol plopped down onto her new bed and took of her shoes, sitting them neatly by the cushion, placing her weapons next to them before she allowed herself to lie back on the cushion. A few minutes later, Daryl followed her example. _

_"Goodnight Carol," he whispered, just before he turned off his flashlight._

_"Goodnight Pookie."_

**: ~ * ~ :**

So now, here they lay, spooning for God's sake!

He'd being lying if he said he wasn't happy to have her there, though. It meant she was real. It meant that after a week of searching, that somehow the fates had allowed their paths to cross again. He was more grateful that than he could put into words for that small miracle.

There were a million things that he'd wanted to say to her and yet, he hadn't found the courage to say any of them. Instead, they had argued, him telling her that she had to stop trying to save everyone. In return, she'd revealed her guilt… the pain she still carried over Sophia. She'd cut open an old wound that never properly healed and left it bleeding before him.

When it was over, when the anger had subsided and the tears had stopped falling, they were still "them". She teased, he grumbled and they laughed; the easiness that had always been between them slipped right back into place.

Daryl realized that he'd never had that with anyone… ever, not even with Merle. It was only with her. Carol was it.

She was "it" for a lot of things and he longed to tell her so, but the words were all knotted up around his heart and he couldn't loosen them. Truth be told, he was scared shitless of the whole idea. Yeah, that's right… Big, Badass, Squirrel Killing, Motorcycle Riding, Crossbow Carrying, Daryl Dixon was afraid of love… of rejection… of losing what he'd just found.

"Damn coward," he mumbled aloud, stirring Carol.

She turned then, nestling into him, her head resting against his chest. "You say something?" she asked, still half-asleep.

"Nuh uh," he said into her hair, wrapping his arms around her, feeling her relax against him, sleep finding her once again.

_"Tomorrow,"_ he told himself. _"I'll tell her tomorrow."_ But for tonight, he was content to just hold her, being lulled to sleep by her soft breath against his chest. Tonight, it was enough.

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**


	8. Chapter 8

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**- EXILED -**

- CHAPTER EIGHT-

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 10 Days After Banishment _

_- The Double G Country Store_

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

Morning reared its ugly head and Daryl slowly eased himself away from Carol. He'd decided that he should check out the area for walkers, but first he had to figure out all the damn booby traps that Carol had set up.

"Damn it," he growled as he tried not to get tangled up in the one she'd fixed by the door. That's when he heard it… a slight giggle coming from the floor.

"What the hell you gigglin' at?" he asked, staring down at her.

Carol sat up and faced him, a smile beaming on her face. "You."

"Humph."

"Who woulda thought that a little twine and some cans would have been your kryptonite?"

"You callin' me Superman?"

With a raised eyebrow she stared up at him. "Aren't you?"

"Shut it," he ordered, adding an eye roll for effect.

Another giggle and Daryl just glared at her. "My brother was wrong about you."

"Oh yeah?" she asked, rising from the mattress and slipping into her shoes. "How so?"

"You ain't no lil' mouse," he told her, shaking his head before he turned to walk out the door. "You're a damn hellcat."

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

The day went by pretty fast. Morning was spent making sure all the traps were still set. After that, Carol showed Daryl her car and how she had it "locked, stocked and ready to go". Daryl had applauded her "good thinkin" and laughed when she'd told him how she'd siphoned gas from the pickup.

"I can still taste gasoline," she said with a laugh and Daryl laughed with her.

They walked the perimeter together, finding a car about a half a mile down the road that Daryl quickly scanned for supplies. When he was done, he checked for fuel, teasing Carol when he began to siphon the gas into his empty gas can.

"Watch the master," he told her, his cockiness shining through.

"Hey, I got it done," she defended, placing her hands on her hips.

Daryl nodded. "That ya did."

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

When evening fell and The Double G had been secured for another night, Daryl watched as Carol finished cooking some squirrel stew on a little Coleman grill. He'd killed the animal earlier in the day and she had wasted no time in turning it into supper.

Sliding back and sitting on the counter, Daryl watched intently as Carol spooned the stew into two bowls, his eyes taking in her small frame and trying not to think about the fact that she looked even thinner than she had at the prison.

"Eat up," she ordered as she turned and handed him a bowl.

Daryl nodded and graciously took the food she'd offered him. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"May I?" she asked politely as she pointed to the bare counter next to him.

Daryl scooted over a bit and held out a hand to help her up.

Letting her hand slip into his, Carol scooted up onto the counter and smiled. "Thanks." Staring down at the stew, she looked to Daryl for approval. "How is it?"

"It's good," he told her, taking another spoonful into his mouth. "Really good."

"I can't fix up a whole meal like I could at the prison, but at least it's something, you know?"

"Naw, really, I like it."

Carol just smiled and took a bite. "Mmmm," she said softly. "Not bad for some stale spices and a rodent."

Daryl snorted and nudged her arm, a small grin on his face.

He dropped his head then, taking another bite of stew before glancing over at her. "Speakin' o' the prison. When you wantin' to head back?"

Carol stiffened.

"What?"

"I never said I was going back, Daryl."

It was his turn to stiffen. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"Rick kicked me out, Daryl," Carol reminded him.

Daryl snorted. "And he had no right to. We talked about this."

"Rather he had the right or not, he still did it. He doesn't want me there."

"Don't matter what he wants," Daryl said through clinched teeth.

"Yes, it does." Carol slipped down from the counter and ran a hand through her short locks. "He doesn't trust me and now I can't trust him. We both… took matters into our own hands. I don' t know that it can be the same after that."

"I ain't askin' for it to be the same," he said honestly. "That's where you belong."

"Maybe…" Carol whispered, dropping her head.

"Ain't no maybe to it!" he half yelled, regretting the tone he'd taken the minute it was out of his mouth.

Carol raised her head to look at him, that same look on her face that she'd had the night he laid into her after they'd found Sophia.

"I didn't meant ta yell," he told her, sitting his stew down and hopping down from the counter. "I just don't understand why ya wouldn't wanna go back."

"It was never my choice to leave," she said solemnly. "That option was taken from me the minute I got into that car."

Daryl dropped his head, his mind wandering to what it must have been like for her; to think she was going to help the group and then to be cast out. "I can't say that I know how ya felt being told ya couldn't come back. I know it musta hurt ya somethin' awful."

Carol frowned, unable to say a word.

"But dammit, Carol, that's your home. To hell with Rick."

"It's not that simple," she told him, crossing her arms.

"It _is_ that simple. Your place is there… with the group and the girls. But, if you don't wanna go… alright." He crossed his arms then as he leaned back against the counter. "I told ya last night… I don't like ya not bein' there. It makes everything seem _off_. So like I told 'em all before I left ta find ya… no you, no me."

"You didn't," she said in shock, her hand coming to cover her mouth.

"I did," he told her nonchalantly.

Carol was touched by the sentiment and fought back tears. "You can't do that," she told him. "They need you."

"They need you too," he told her.

Carol shook her head in defiance.

With a sigh, Daryl ran a hand through his hair. "Dammit woman, _I_ need you."

"Stop," she told him, backing away from him. "Stop sayin' things you don't mean."

Daryl moved and in two long strides he'd closed the distance between them. "Who says I don't mean 'em?"

She turned to face him, the tears she'd been able to fight off earlier now winning the battle. "Please…" she whispered.

One word. One word and Daryl's world flipped upside down. His hand moved to gently caress her cheek, brushing away the tears that had fallen.

"Ain't you figured it out yet?" he asked hoarsely as he let his head drop to rest against hers. "I love ya."

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**


	9. Chapter 9

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**- EXILED -**

- CHAPTER NINE-

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 10 Days After Banishment _

_- The Double G Country Store_

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

_"Ain't you figured it out yet? I love ya."_

Carol heard the words ringing in her ears as Daryl dropped his head to rest against her own. She stood speechless at his profession of love, unable to make a sound. She watched then, wide eyed, as Daryl's breathing increased, feeling the warmth of it on her skin. There was so much she wanted to say, but she couldn't think straight… not with him so close and looking so vulnerable.

Slowly, she tilted her head upwards, brushing her lips against his, their breaths mingling. It was the slightest touch, but the sparks were so intense that she felt as if she were being hit by lightning.

She swallowed hard then, her desire to feel his touch so overwhelming that she lost her senses, sighing as she leaned further into his space. "Oh to hell with it," she whispered and moved to let her lips crash against his.

The second she did it, Carol felt Daryl's hand move to the back of her head, pulling her closer. She'd thought about this moment a million times and yet none compared to this moment… to reality. It was tender and passionate, yet laced with need.

Soft and sure, she felt his tongue ask for entrance and she allowed it, surprised when they both moaned with desire.

Moments later, when air demanded it, they broke apart, but Daryl resumed his position of resting his forehead against hers.

"That's been a long time comin'," he told her as he grinned.

"Too long," she answered as she moved one of her hands to rest above his heart. "I… was beginning to think it would never happen."

Daryl laughed slightly as his hand moved to make circles at the small of her back. "Me either."

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

As night fell, Daryl watched intently as Carol lay next to him on the futon mattress, a bit of skin peeking out at the bottom of her shirt. He'd professed his love and then they'd kissed… a lot. After that, they finished eating and headed to bed… not to have sex, but to sleep, because that's what they needed. This wasn't some damn romance novel after all.

But now, now he couldn't sleep, teased by the sight of her skin in the moonlight from the skylight overhead. He could see a small circular scar at the small of her back and he just wanted to touch it and then kiss it away from her. He'd never really given much thought to the fact that she might have her own scars; her own war wounds from a life lived with Ed.

_"Damn bastard,"_ he said to himself. It was a good thing that the man was dead, because Daryl would have been all too glad to end his sorry ass life if he wasn't. The asshole had hurt Carol… _his _Carol and that right there was enough reason for a death sentence.

Without much thought, Daryl let his hand move toward Carol's back and he let his finger make a circle over the scar that he found there. A second later, when Carol turned to face him, her eyes staring holes into his, he didn't know what to say. But, she did.

"I'll show you mine, if you show me yours…"

Just like that, he agreed. He would bare his soul to this woman; show her the parts that he kept hidden from everyone. Slowly he slipped his shirt off and he watched with quiet astonishment as Carol did the same.

"That one," she told him, "the one you were touching? Ed gave that to me two days after Sophia was born. He wanted to have sex and I didn't…wasn't even allowed to on doctor's orders, but he didn't care. That was my reminder, via his cigar, that he made the rules, not me and certainly not some doctor."

Daryl frowned, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she told him, her hand moving to cover his. "It's the past."

Daryl scooted then, twisting so she could see the scars that littered his back. There were just so many that Carol could feel her heart ache at the sight.

"Those there, by the tats," he started. "I got those when I brought home a stray. It was a pretty little shepherd I named Murphy. Dad… beat the hell outta me and said we didn't need anymore mouths to feed, then he took it in the backyard and shot it."

Carol's hand went to her mouth to cover it, shocked at the cruelness, but Daryl didn't let her thoughts linger there, shaking his head at her. "It's the past, right?"

She nodded. "Right."

His hand went to her spine then and to the jagged cut that ran half the length of it. "This?"

Carol frowned. "My 'lesson' after the first time I tried to leave him. He used a broken bottle of Jim Beam."

"Asshole."

"Yeah…"

One by one, the two revealed the stories behind their scars, hearing things that they'd never uttered to another human being. Ever. When it was said and done, only one remained…

Carol's tiny hand moved slowly toward the scar that marred Daryl's left side, her eyes welling with tears at the sight. "Sophia," she whispered as she let her pointer finger caress the damaged skin.

"Yeah," he said regretfully.

Without thought, Carol moved, lowering her head to his side and lightly brushed her lips across the scar. When Daryl sucked in a breath, she pulled away, afraid she'd done something wrong.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, scooting away on the mattress, but Daryl grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Stop," he told her. "Jus' surprised me is all. I've never… no one's ever been gentle with me before. It was nice."

"Oh."

Daryl looked at her and there was a hazy look in his eyes that Carol wasn't sure she'd ever seen before. "C'mere."

She quickly did as he said, scooting her way back across the futon mattress until she was sitting at his side.

Daryl sighed as he turned to stare at her. "I don't know how ta do this. I'm afraid I'm gonna love ya wrong."

Carol shook her head in protest. "There's no way you could," she whispered. "It's not in you."

"Yeah, it is," he told her and Carol could see the frustration in his features. "I always screw up the good things. But, I'll try… I'll try not to screw it all to hell."

Carol grinned.

"The thing is, I know I ain't a easy man sometimes. I'm stubborn and hotheaded. I can't give you the world… wish I could, but I can't. And, I ain't the 'bring ya chocolates and flowers' type either. But if I was your man, I promise I'd do right by ya. If I'm what ya want." He stopped then, dropping his head. "After all, love and lust are two diff'rent things. And ya didn't say it back."

Carol was silent as she listened to his profession of love, laying his heart on the line. She hadn't realized that she hadn't said "I love you" back to him, but _he_ had and she regretted that she had left him hanging.

Finally, when he could take it no more, Daryl furrowed his brow and looked at her. "Jesus Carol, will ya say somethin'?"

"Daryl Dixon," she whispered as she wiped a tear from her cheek. "I love you. Do you hear me? I. Love. You. For all that you are and for all that you aren't. I never asked for the world. Don't want it… it's gone to shit anyway. No, you're not an easy man, but I'm not an easy woman. And, you are the flower type. You brought me one a long time ago, remember? It was the first one any man had ever given me and there's not a one from anyone in the world that could ever mean more to me than that little Cherokee Rose in a beer bottle."

He was on her then, scattering kisses across her neck as he lowered her to the mattress and settled himself between her legs. "I wanna love ya, Carol," Daryl told her, desperation in his voice. "I wanna make ya forget he ever touched ya. I want my touch, my lovin', to be all that ya ever remember, ya hear me? But, if you want me to stop, tell me now, because dammit, there ain't no turnin' back after this. I'll be yours and you'll be mine. Understand?"

With a smile, Carol reached up and pressed her hand to the nape of Daryl's neck, pushing him further down into their embrace. "I'm already yours," she told him. "I have been all along."

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**


	10. Chapter 10

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**- EXILED -**

- CHAPTER TEN-

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 12 Days After Banishment _

_- The Double G Country Store_

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

Carol loaded the last of the supplies into her car and closed the hatch. After two days of lovin', _and what lovin' it had been_, she and Daryl had decided to go back to the prison.

_"I won't stay," she told him. "Not unless everyone agrees."_

_Daryl nodded his head. "I understand," he said softly._

_"Do you really, Daryl?" she questioned "Because if Rick, or any of them for that matter, say that they don't want me there… I'm gone."_

_Daryl squeezed her naked form a little tighter against him as he nuzzled her ear. "And I'll be right beside ya. We'll get the girls and get the hell outta Dodge if that's what ya want. Hell, Carol, I ain't makin' ya go back if ya don't wanna."_

_Carol knew his words to be true. He would never force her to go back to the prison. What she really hated about the whole damn situation was that she wanted to go back… to be amongst the ones she'd called family. It was the idea of their rejection that had her scared, shaking her to her core._

_"Already told ya…" Daryl mumbled against her skin, as his hands began to roam across her body. "It's you and me… package deal. I can face alotta things, Carol. But, I won't face 'em without ya."_

_Carol felt her heart melt at his words and she smiled. "I think that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard."_

_"Ain't tryin' to be sweet," he told her, his voice gravelly as he spoke. "Jus' bein' truthful."_

_She moved then, turning in his arms just a bit so that she could see his face. "I love you, you big softy."_

_Daryl grinned wickedly at her, something mischievous peeking out from behind those steely blue eyes. "Right back atcha, hellcat."_

"Hey," Daryl greeted as he came up beside her. "You okay?"

Carol nodded, grinning at the man before her. "Just daydreamin'," she told him.

"You ready to do this?" he asked, a look of worry settling onto his features.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

She watched then as Daryl chewed on the corner of his lip. "It'll be fine," he mumbled.

Carol scoffed at his words. "You trying to convince me or yourself?"

Daryl shrugged before moving to wrap her in his arms and Carol welcomed the embrace. "Whatever happens, I'll be right there with ya. Ya ain't alone, Carol. Not anymore."

And he was right.

"Now or never," she whispered against his chest and she felt him sigh into her hair.

"Yep." Daryl said softly before releasing her and heading toward his own car.

"You'll be…"

"Right behind you," Carol interrupted him, watching him grin before she slipped into the driver's seat of her car.

She watched then as the vehicle in front of her pulled out and headed toward the prison. A big part of her wanted to run, but she wouldn't. Daryl had been right; she wasn't alone anymore. And, wherever he led, she would follow. So, she started the car and headed in the same direction as the man in front of her, smiling when she saw him glance up at the rear view mirror, just to make sure she was there. She waved, knowing it fluster him to have been caught, but she didn't care. And as they picked up speed, she grinned, muttering softly to herself, "I'm right behind you."

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 12 Days After Banishment _

_- The Prison_

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

Maggie leaned over the tower's rail as she scanned the prison yard. There were a few walkers at the fence, but it had lightened considerably since the night that all hell broke loose and she'd almost lost Glenn. She was more thankful than she could even describe that he had survived, not knowing how she would have made it if something had happened to him. Glenn was the love of her life and just the thoughts of him being gone made her ache.

Her mind wandered to Daryl then and she frowned. She compared her worry at losing Glenn to how Daryl must have felt when he heard of Rick's actions against Carol. He had lost the woman he loved… not to a walker, or to some damned flu, but because Rick had cast her out. And all because of something she didn't even do.

Maggie felt shame course through her as she remembered telling Rick that he had done the right thing. She hadn't really believed it, but she seen no sense in arguing with him since there wasn't anything she could have done to change it. But she should have done it anyway, she knew that now, but hindsight's twenty-twenty and the damage had been done.

She missed Carol, though… more so than she really even thought she would. She hadn't realized, until the woman was gone, just how much they had all depended on her. When Judith was fussy, they looked to Carol. When one of the many children in the prison needed something, they looked to Carol. When it was time to cook, they looked to Carol. When they need a shoulder to cry on, they looked to Carol. Why had no one noticed her importance in the prison until she was gone?

No, that wasn't true. _Daryl _had noticed. He'd seen it all along, and called them all out on their shit when Rick had finally told him what he'd done.

There, before Rick and God and the small group that had tried to break them apart, Daryl had laid it all out for them. He threw it in their face about just what and who Carol was. He let them all know, right real quick, about the kind of woman that she was and just who Rick had kicked out of the group. And the biggest thing, the thing that had shocked them all, was that he had professed his love… not with those words exactly, but they all knew what he was saying. Rick had taken Carol from him and Daryl was lost.

So, it was no surprise to her when the hunter had said that he was going to find her and God, how she hoped that he had. Maggie hoped that Daryl had somehow managed to track Carol down and that they were both okay. She hoped that the two were happy and safe and together because they both deserved for it to be that way. But this world didn't usually have happy endings and Maggie resolved herself to the fact that one, if not both, were probably dead.

She turned then, her eyes immediately drawn to the graveyard and the cross that Daryl had placed there for Carol. He'd put it there to remember her, when they all thought that she had died right alone with T-Dog and Lori. "Maybe I'll write their names on it," she said aloud. "Together."

_"It's the least I can do,"_ she told herself, making a mental note to get it done the minute her shift ended.

Turning her attention back to her duties, Maggie glanced sparingly across the prison yard until she took notice of a dust trail rising along the road leading to the prison.

"What the hell?" she questioned, knowing that no one was out on a run or off the prison property.

"Something's comin'," she warned Michonne and Carl who were walking the area by the fences.

The words were no sooner out of her mouth than she saw a Jeep Cherokee and a Ford Taurus headed toward the gate.

Quickly, Maggie grabbed the binoculars and fixed it on the vehicles.

It was Daryl.

It was Daryl… and Carol.

"Let 'em in," she yelled down to Michonne and Carl as she opened the hatch to the tower. "Let 'em in!"

The two nodded and quickly moved to open the gates, letting the two cars inside the prison gates.

"I'll be damned," Maggie said with a smile as she scurried down the ladder and headed to the yard. "Guess I won't be making a grave marker after all."

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**


	11. Chapter 11

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**- EXILED -**

- CHAPTER ELEVEN -

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 12 Days After Banishment _

_- The Prison_

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

Carol leaned against her car as she waited for Daryl and the others to return from their council meeting. She picked, nervously, at the callus on her right hand as Carl stared at her, seemingly unsure of what to say.

When she and Daryl had driven up into the prison yard, the boy had greeted her with a hug and a smile and he had not left her side since. Even when everyone else ventured inside the prison, Carl stayed, and Carol wondered what exactly was on his mind.

"I'm sorry," he finally whispered and Carol turned to look at him, shocked by words.

"For what?"

"I got you kicked out of the prison."

Carol immediately leaned over and threw an arm over his shoulder. "No, you didn't. I did that all on my own."

"But, you were protecting me…"

"Maybe so, but I was the adult and I chose my own actions. What happened… between me and your dad… that wasn't your fault."

Carl nodded his understanding as he kicked the dirt at his feet.

"Was he very mad?" Carol asked, seeing the sadness that edged her young friend's features.

He shrugged. "I think he was more disappointed than anything else."

Already knowing how the events had played out that day, because of Daryl, Carol didn't make Carl elaborate. "Is it better now?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

"I don't even know why we're having this meeting," Glenn spoke up, "she didn't do anything wrong and this is where she belongs."

Daryl gave a sigh of relief, thankful that his old friend had been so quick to defend Carol. "We're here," he revealed, "because Carol wants to make sure that everyone wants her here. If not, we're gone."

"We?" Hershel asked, a slight grin on his face.

"That's right," Daryl confirmed proudly. "Me an' her, and the girls if they wanna go. I won't be stayin' here without her. And she won't be out there without me."

"So it's all or nothin'?" Tyreese asked, finally joining the conversation. "Is that you or her speakin'?"

"That's all me, man," Daryl growled out. "Matter 'o fact, she tried to get me to come back without her. That's how much y'all mean to her. She said I was needed here and she was gonna stay out there on her own, but I said no. And, I meant no. And, that's the way it's gonna stay. So you all do what y'all think is best. But Carol and me? That's a done deal. We're either here, or we're somewhere else. But, wherever it is, we'll be together."

Sasha crossed her arms before finally speaking up, breaking the tension that was quickly working its way into the room. "Well, I can't say that I like how things happened with her and Carl and Ty, but… Carol was always a good member of this community. We're stronger _with_ her than _without_ her."

"I agree," Maggie said softly. "She's important to this place and to the people here. I say she stays."

Michonne nodded her head in agreement. "Maggie's right. I vote that Carol stays."

"As do I," Hershel said as he crossed his arms and looked around the table.

Glenn leaned back in his chair and gave a slight grin. "You all know how I feel about this. She stays," he said firmly. "She's family."

"Ty?" Sasha asked as she turned to face her brother. "What's your say on this?"

It took a few moments, but finally the big man seemed to find the words he'd been searching for. "After Karen, I wasn't in my right mind for a while. Carol seen it firsthand, so I understand why she woulda been scared for Carl. I mighta done the same thing if I thought somebody might hurt someone I loved. She was wrong for her actions, but I can't say that I don't understand them, cause I do." He looked straight at Daryl then. "I… ain't got a problem with her being here."

Daryl gave a sigh of relief as all eyes turned toward a bearded man who had quietly been taking in the whole situation.

Michonne was the one to finally speak up. "That leaves you, Rick."

"I'm not a council member," he said shortly.

"Neither is Ty," she snapped back. "But, this concerned him and it concerns you, and that's why you were asked to join in."

"What do you want me to say?" Rick asked, his eyes moving from one person to the next. "She lied to me. She lied about my boy and about Karen and David. I don't know that I trust her."

Daryl felt his hand twitch at the lawman's words, but tried to keep his anger in check.

Rick dropped his head then, rubbing his thumb against the palm of his left hand. "But, I guess she could say the same about me."

"So what's your decision?" Hershel asked.

Rick shook his head in disbelief. After all that had been said and done, Carol's fate had once again been placed firmly in his hands.

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

"They've been in there a while," Carl informed Carol as he began to pace in front of her.

"I know," she said softly, pushing herself off the car and beginning to pace right alongside him.

"What's taking' so long?" Carl half-yelled as he threw his hands in the air. "What are they waitin' on?"

"Me," came the voice from behind them and both Carol and Carl turned to see Rick standing there. "They were waitin' on me."

Carol sighed as she took in the man in front of her. He looked tired and Carol, despite herself, wished that she could make things better for him.

"Carl, why don't you go inside and help Beth with Judy?"

"Dad," Carl began to protest, but was quickly shot down with a glance that told him not to push his luck. So he turned, wrapped his arms around Carol one last time and then headed inside the building.

Rick moved slowly toward her and Carol felt herself tense. "I think we need to talk," he finally announced, pointing toward the far end of the prison yard, away from wandering eyes and ears. "Care to take a stroll?"

She was nervous, to say the least, but she knew that Daryl would never let anything happen to her. "Oh hell, why not?"

A few minutes later the two reached their destination: the graveyard.

Rick let his hand run across the worn wood that marked Lori's grave. "I've lost count of the visits I've made to this grave since you've been gone and I can hear Lori in my head givin' me hell for what I did to ya, every single time."

Carol smiled slightly at the mention of her friend. "I know you miss her."

Rick nodded. "Everyday."

Carol plucked a dandelion and twisted the stem between her fingers. "I'm sorry that I lied to you. I had good intentions, but I did things all wrong. All wrong…"

Letting the small flower crumble in her hands, she watched then as the seeds lifted into the air and were carried away by the breeze. "Oh well, you know what they say about the road to Hell and good intentions, though."

"Yeah."

"But…"

"But?"

"How could you just leave me like that?"

"I thought I was doing what was best," Rick defended. "You told me that you killed them, Carol."

"I know what I told you," she said somberly, wiping at the tears that seemed to come from nowhere. "But did it really deserve that punishment? Do you have any idea what that was like?"

Rick dropped his head then, feeling his chest tighten at her question. "Yeah, I do. I was alone once, remember? Before I found Lori and Carl and the group at the quarry."

"That wasn't the same," she told him as she began to pace.

"Why wasn't it?"

"Because you were searching for them, not knowing where they were. I _knew_ where you all were and yet told to never come back. You told me that I had to stay away."

"If you'd just told me," Rick accused.

"Would you have believed me?" Carol questioned. "Or would you have thought that I was making it up to be able to come back to the prison? And, how was I to know that you were just gonna leave me out there? I trusted you, Rick! I trusted you and you left me!"

"I know! I screwed up!" he yelled as he stared at her. "We both did, remember?"

"Yeah," she said hoarsely, hurt evident in her voice. Then there was quiet, both of them regretting where they now found themselves.

Carol was the first to speak. "I hate this," she whispered.

"Me too."

"We used to be friends and now look at us."

Rick shook his head in frustration. "I don't know how to make up for what happened, Carol. I can't change what I did, just like you can't change what you did. I… wish we could."

"I do too."

"Look, we've both screwed up. We both did what we thought we had to in order to protect the ones we loved." Rick fidgeted with his belt before continuing. "I'm hoping that we can come back from the things we've done. I think second chances and forgiveness should always be an option between friends, don't you?"

Carol looked at him, stunned by his words. "What are saying?"

"I'm saying that I'm sorry, Carol. I'm saying that I was an ass and that I hope you can forgive me. And…"

"And?"

Rick moved then and wrapped his arms around the small woman before him, feeling her return the embrace when he finally whispered into her ear, "And, I'm saying Welcome Home."

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**


	12. Chapter 12

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**- EXILED -**

- CHAPTER TWELVE -

**- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -**

_- 12 Days After Banishment _

_- The Prison_

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

Daryl looked on nervously as Rick and Carol made their way back up through the prison yard. He, along with the other council members, had made their way outside and now waited anxiously to hear what the two had decided.

The minute that Carol was within reaching distance, Daryl was pulling her into an embrace, not giving a single damn as to what any of them thought of the public display of affection.

"You okay?" he asked once he'd finally released her, his hands twitching to hit something when he noticed that she'd been crying.

"I'm fine," she told him with a faint smile on her face.

"You sure?"

Carol nodded and Daryl felt himself finally breath a sigh of relief.

"Um, I hate to break up this little moment," Glenn interrupted.

"But, you're goin' to anyway, right?" Daryl huffed out in fake annoyance.

"Well… yeah," Glenn said unapologetically. "We're all dying to know what the hell is going on. Is everything okay now or not?"

Daryl brought his attention back to Carol, locking eyes with her and giving her a look that told her that whatever she said was gonna be fine by him. "So, what's the verdict," he asked calmly. "We stayin' or goin'?"

He watched then as Carol glanced over her shoulder at Rick, who had joined the rest of the group a few feet away. When the lawman nodded, she turned her attention back to Daryl and smiled. "We're stayin'."

"Aright then," he mumbled, giving her a wink before turning in the direction of the Jeep. "Somebody give me a hand with these supplies."

Glenn, smiling from ear to ear, waved his hand in Daryl's direction as if to shoo him away. "In a minute," he blurted out. "Right now, I need a hug."

Daryl quickly put his hands on his hips and scowled. "I ain't givin' ya no hug, ya crazy Korean."

Glenn widened his smile before joining in on the friendly banter. "Good, you grouchy redneck, cause I wasn't talkin' about you!" With that, he grabbed Carol and gave her a hardy hug.

Daryl laughed and then watched as, one by one, the group welcomed him and Carol back home.

"That's what I'm talkin' 'bout," he mumbled when he finally moved to gather a box of supplies.

"What's that?" Michonne asked as she moved to stand at his side.

"Everybody's together," Daryl told her. "The way it's s'posed to be. It's us against the world, not us against us."

Michonne grinned. "You know, I think Kyle was headed in the wrong direction with his guesses about your job," she told him teasingly. "I think you were a philosopher."

"Shut it," Daryl warned with a grin, glancing at Carol one last time before heading toward the prison with supplies.

- - : - : ~ * ~ : - : - -

As night fell, Daryl and Carol lie in their new bunk; spooning.

"Tired?" Daryl questioned as he made little circles on Carol's hip.

"A little," she told him honestly. "It's not like we haven't had a long day."

"Tell me about it," he said with a laugh. "We moved the girls into your old cell, moved ourselves into this one, unloaded supplies, got the lowdown on what we've missed while we were gone and then had to tell every-frickin-body about how we found each other."

Carol giggled. "Don't ya know? We're a livin', breathin', walkin', talkin' romance novel now?"

"Pfft! Don't be sayin' that shit."

"It's true," she told him. "You should have heard some of those girls from Woodbury. Oh Carol, did Daryl really leave the prison just to find you? And, and… did he really fight off all those walkers? Oh, why can't I find a man like that? I wish someone would do that for me... He's sooo dreamy. He must really love you…"

"Stahp," Daryl groaned, nudging her softly.

"I'm serious," she told him. "Those girls are swoonin' Daryl."

"Don't matter none if they are," he admitted. "Already taken."

Carol turned to look at him. "You are?"

"Uh huh," he whispered, moving his hand to caress her cheek. "I belong to some hellcat."

Carol grinned. "Aww, Pookie."

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Can't ya find somethin' better than that to call me?"

"Like what?" Carol teased, a giggle in her voice. "Would you prefer Honey Buns?"

"Aww hell no!"

Carol burst into laughter and she quickly brought her hands up to muffle the sound.

"Shh," Daryl warned. "You're gonna wake the whole damn block."

Carol nodded. "Oops."

He stared at her then, his eyes shining brightly, even in the dimly lit room. "They were right, you know?"

"Who? The Woodbury girls?"

"Uh huh," he whispered as he moved to nuzzle her neck. "I really do love ya."

Carol smiled as she moved her hand to bury her fingers in his long, dark hair. "I love you too."

He pulled back from her, staring down at her with loving eyes, a mischievous grin on his face. "Tired?" he asked for the second time that night.

Carol returned the grin with one of her own, a mix of love and longing showing on her face as she stared up at the man she loved. "No," she whispered hoarsely. "Not anymore."

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**- THE END -**

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**AN:**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited, etc. I really, really appreciate it. I hope that the story was worth your time and thanks for being so kind. :)**


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